Just Friends
by Rhadiola
Summary: Andy, a 16 year old high school student is best friends with a rambunctious redhead named Jenny the same way Woody is best friends with Jessie. They looked out for each other and cared deeply for one another - what more could they ask for out of their relationship? Takes place between Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3. Alternate Universe. Woody/Jessie pairing.
1. The Introduction

/AN/ I do not own Toy Story or any of the characters that are cannon to the franchise. All other characters are my own.

Woody/Jessie fanfiction, though the focus will be split between them and Andy's perspective. The timeline is between TS2 and TS3. I hope you all read and review! This is my first ever fanfic, so I welcome any and all suggestions and criticism./AN/

Andy's room was no different from any normal boy's room - a cluttered mess of posters and pictures haphazardly adorning almost every inch of exposed wall, perhaps hiding the shame of having childish golden stars on a pastel blue background as wallpaper. An unkempt bed with a blanket that seemed much too large draped over the white sheets. An electronic guitar still plugged into an amp lay beside a small CRT set, both of which seem untouched for ages. An adorable toy box shaped like a wagon that was filled almost to the brim with dolls, action figures, board games and other such things. Lastly was his desk - paper and post-it notes strewn about, stickers on the drawers mimicking the posters on the walls, a desk lamp on the side, and a laptop, open and ready for use.

Perhaps the only difference between his room and any other normal boy's room would be the fact that his room, for a boy at least, was pretty clean. No dirty clothes on the floor, rug was dust-free and the floor didn't have any trash scattered about. Well, that and he wasn't alone in his room.

"Mmmmm!" a young redhead breathed out as she stretched, the swivel chair she was on tilted slightly against her weight. The pair sat next to each other as Andy pushed the laptop to the side and plopped his textbook. The title Algebra 2 glared at him like a sinister omen, and he preemptively grabbed both sides of his head in his hands, his fingers manically ruffling through his hair.

"I can't do this, Jen. I can't." Moaned the poor boy miserably. "I could barely do Algebra, now it's back with a vengeance!"

"Oh, quit your whining," replied Jenny as she squinted at him with her shimmering sapphire eyes, her lips turned upwards in a playful smirk, "we haven't even opened the book yet, and poor ol' Andy's already gonna give up!"

Andy glanced upwards to look at her before quickly looking away. This girl had always flustered him, and what was worse was that she was well aware of how she made him feel. She enjoyed it, actually, and took almost every opportunity to embarrass him with it. It wasn't always like that - three years prior they were as close as could be, but as she slowly blossomed into young lady, he found it harder and harder to stay composed with her.

And she loved it. "D'awwww," she cooed, scooting closer to Andy's face with her own, "is someone feelin' a lil' grumpy today?" Her breath tickled his skin, sending waves of electricity down the victim's spine. Andy's face showed her everything she wanted to see. Patches of red on his cheeks, sweat appearing on his brow and his own ocean-blue eyes frantically pacing the space in front of them.

_Has she no sense of personal space?_ Andy thought to himself, annoyed at his feelings and her awareness of it. He cleared his throat and stared right back at her, his brows crumpled in mild frustration. "Jen, we can't afford to waste time, alright? I swear Mr. Freeman's out to get me and if I don't get my grades up-"

He was shushed as Jenny placed a finger between his lips. "I know, I know. I was just teasing."

"You're _always_ 'just teasing.'"

"And you love me for it."

Andy sighed and rolled his eyes as the pair finally went down to business. Jenny explained the equations and scenarios as best as she could and Andy did his best not to smack his head against the book in hopes that his skin can absorb the information better than his brain can. Still, he was thankful Jenny was there for him. She was one of the reasons why he kept his grades up throughout the years. As much as she was playful, energetic and childish, she was also pretty smart, at least when it came to math.

"So let's set up a scenario." said the red-headed tutor.

"Go on." replied the frazzled student in a sigh.

"So imagine I'm chasing after you with the intent to kiss you."

"Jen, come o-"

"Hush. So you've got about a five hour head start and are currently running at... oh, let's say..." she gave him a once-over, "fifteen kilometers per hour."

Andy merely sighed and nodded in defeat.

"And I, having reached the speed and prowess of Usain Bolt, run at forty five kilometers per hour."

"What!"

"Ah, ah, ah, Aaaandy!" She responded in a giggle, wagging her finger at him. "You gotta let the tutor make up the scene or else you'll never learn."

He sighed once again. This was a regular occurence when she was around.

"So..." she leaned forward, pressing her nose against the flustered boy. In a whisper, she continued, "How long will it take before I catch you and feel your lips against mine?"

Andy could only gulp. He knew that all she wanted was to make him suffer from embarrassment. He did his best to steel himself, but his lips quivered and eyes widened from the proximity. _HAS SHE NO SENSE OF PERSONAL SPACE?_

It was only a second later that she pulled away as quickly as she pushed forward, swiveling around in her swivel chair and standing up, walking towards the bed.

"You got fifteen minutes, Mr. Davis, or else I might need to teach you with a crop." She teased.

Andy shook the mental image she placed in his head away before he grabbed an empty piece of paper, scribbling down whatever numbers he remembered. "Fifteen kilometers per hour... forty five kilometers per hour... uhm..." he muttered under his breath.

"Don't forget the five hour head start!" called out the mischievous redhead as she made her way to his bed. Though they had been friends ever since she was thirteen, she never had the opportunity to go inside his room, or any boy's room for that matter. Her parents wouldn't allow it - telling her that 'boys only had one thing on their mind.' She chuckled to herself - Andy wasn't the type to do that to her. He was respectful, shy, and looked out for her. Perhaps it was because he was an older brother to a little sister, or perhaps... she sighed to herself. Perhaps it was because he had to become the 'man of the house' at such a young age.

Regardless, she grinned to herself as she bent down and lifted the edge of the blanket that hid the bottom of the bed. Turning to glance at Andy, she confirmed that he was busying himself with the equation too much to pay attention to her shenanigans. Andy was still a boy, after all. And a young man like him would surely need... certain outlets, that much, she was aware. All she needed was the dirt.

Peering around, she clasped her mouth to keep herself from snikering too loudly. So THAT'S why his room was all neat and clean! He had probably stuffed all of his clothes and trash underneath the bed before she entered the room, seeing pile after pile of crumpled clothes and paper lay askew. She glanced left and right, hoping to find a box of some sort. Something that could easily hide...

"What's this?" she inquired softly.

Meanwhile, Andy rubbed his temple with one hand and used a pencil as a drumstick with the other. His mind was near dizzy trying to make sense of the equation, while jumping between images of a crazed Jenny kissing him after a long chase, and Jenny in a teacher's outfit, holding a crop and gazing at him seductively. He felt her creep up behind him and he finally gave in.

"Jen. See, this is the part I don't ge-"

"Boy howdy!" Replied Woody as he was voiced and lifted by Jen, "Woody says, stay in school, kids!"

"Woody!" Andy replied in alarm, snatching the ragdoll from Jen. Instantly, blood rushed back to his face, but he was too upset to notice his embarrassment. "Were you looking through my stuff?!" He accused.

"I wasn't looking _through_ your stuff. I was looking _at_ your stuff and I happened to find him!" She responded, swaying back and forth as she tilted her feet. Still, she did feel bad and didn't want her best friend to be angry with her. "Come on, pardner," she added with a gruff, western accent, "ain't nuthin wrong with playin' with dolls."

"He's not a doll. He's-"

"An action figure?" She interrupted him, her brow raised. "Come on, Andy. Cliches are above you."

"Don't go and change the subject." He replied sharply before turning around and crossing his arms. "You went through my private stuff and that's not cool, Jenny. Not cool."

Jenny knew he was indeed upset. He'd always call her by her nickname, Jen. Him calling her Jenny was akin to her mother yelling out Jennifer Jean in frustration. Lord knows what it would mean if Andy did that to her. She sighed and pouted before walking up to him and hugging him from behind. "I'm... sorry." She mumbled as she clasped her hands together around him.

Andy was mad. Or rather, Andy wanted to be mad. She loved to constantly annoy him, but this time was too far. She needed to learn that he too had his limits, even if they were best friends. But his anger quickly ebbed as he felt her weight against him. Looking down at her dainty fingers, he let out a sigh and mumbled back in response. "It's alright..."

"Thank you!" She responded with enthusiasm, letting go of Andy and twirling around. Andy chuckled softly and turned to her, only to once again be shocked as she twirled around with the toy cowboy in her clutches. "Jen!"

"You know, you've actually got the rare version." She remarked, ignoring his outburst.

"The rare version?"

"Of Woody, ya goof. See this right here?"

"What, his vest?"

"Mhm! The vest is naturally dyed and blanket stitched. The newer models were made by machines and you can tell the difference easily."

Andy could only nod his head and pinch his chin in thought as he watched her explain.

"The face is hand painted as well..." she stared at the doll closely, "Did you paint a newer coat on Woody recently?"

Andy shrugged. "I remember one time where he had this weird mark on his forehead and my mom used nail polish to hide it."

"Huh... and lastly, the hat is hand stitched and polyvinyl. Yep. This is definitely the first model. I think there are only a handful left in the world."

"I don't know anything about that..." he replied, rubbing the back of his neck, "It was a hand-me-down from when my dad was a kid.

"Makes sense. These were long gone when we were kids, I think the toy of our generation was..."

"Buzz Lightyear." They both said and giggled at one another.

"I'm actually surprised that you know so much about Woody, Jen." Andy remarked thoughtfully. "I mean, it's pretty impressive of you, actually."

"Well, I wouldn't say impressive." She glanced away, hiding a slight pink in her cheeks as she chuckled awkwardly. It was rare for Andy to compliment her, but whenever he did, she knew he was being completely honest. His honesty was perhaps the best thing she loved in him, along with his looks.

The boy quickly took notice of Jenny's awkwardness though, and leaned in to get a good look at her before she turned to face him, smiling seductively. He took two steps back and she followed him, slowly he pressed himself against the wall. "There are a lot of things you don't know about me, _cowboy_." She winked, her fingers walking up his form and poking him gently on the nose. "But I look forward to showing you everything I have to hide someday." Andy gulped audibly.

"Andy! Jenny! You two better be studying up there!" Shouted Andy's mom from the bottom of the stairs to Andy's room.

"Yes, mom!" He yelled back, though still remained glued to the wall.

"Besides!" Chimed in the mischievous redhead. "What else could we _possibly_ be doing in the privacy of Andy's room?"

"Jen!" Andy placed a hand on her mouth to prevent her from damning the two of them even further and yelled back at his mother. "She's kidding! And I'm saving myself for marriage!"

"Good boy!" They heard his mom respond. Jenny couldn't hold back her laughter and shook underneath Andy's hold with playful glee, her muffled chortles filling the room. With his mom's response, Andy let go of Jenny and slumped over his swivel chair, burying his head under his arms, groaning to himself.

"Awwww... Andy, I was just teasing."

"You're _always_ 'just teasing.'"

"And you _love_ me for it."

The rest of the evening went off without a hitch. Jenny went back to tutoring Andy, Andy gripped his head as he slowly figured things out. It took a while, but he was slowly gaining confidence once he finally put the pieces together and saw the logic of it all. "Ah!" He remarked, "_That_ makes sense!"

"_That,_" she responded, "is what I've been saying all this time!"

"Well, you should have just said that instead of the other stuff!"

"Ugh!" she pinched her nose in frustration and shook her head.

And once again, he took to reading. She, on the other hand, absentmindedly tossed the toy cowboy in the air and caught him as he came back down. "You know," she mused between each toss, "I think in Japan, there's a museum that collects toys and stuff."

"Mhm." Was the deadpan reply Andy gave as he concentrated on studying.

"Well," she caught Woody and looked into the doll's eyes. "I think I read an article that said that they were looking for Woody's roundup dolls. If you have the set, I think they'd buy it for like a million dollars."

"A million dollars?!" He was instantly intrigued, mathematics perhaps the furthest from his mind at the moment. Glancing over towards Jenny, he watched her as she used his laptop. An article popped up on the screen, and she handed him the computer.

"One... point five million dollars!" Andy read and whistled, impressed. "They're seriously going to spend that much on toys?"

"Like I said, only a handful of 'em left. I'd be surprised if you had Jessie and Bullseye."

Quickly, Andy made his way to the toy box and lifted the lid. Jenny raised a brow in curiosity as she watched him pull out a few other toys. She gasped when he presented her with Jessie, the faithful Deputy doll and Bullseye, Woody's trusty stallion doll.

"Jessie!" She squealed, grabbing her and lifting the doll close to her face. "I've always wanted her, but she was already sold out when I heard about her. I didn't even get to buy her other versions."

"Oh, now look at who's the big baby, playing with her dolls."

"You're never too old to play with toys." She responded, unfazed by his comments.

"Well, so you're telling me that some Japanese dudes are willing to give me one and a half million for these guys right here?"

"Nope. You still need Prospector Pete. He's part of the Woody's Roundup Gang too."

"Oh." He sighed in disappointment as he stared at Woody and Bullseye.

"Ah, cheer up, Andy." She smiled at him as she sat Jessie next to Woody. "You know, I've got a Pete doll at home... he's still in good condition too. I wouldn't mind giving him to you if you wanted him." She hastily looked to the side as another pink flush greeted her cheeks.

"You would, huh." Muttered Andy as he kept his eyes locked onto his toys. One point five million for these guys. One point five. "If I had one point five million dollars, I wouldn't have to waste time learning maths."

"Awww..." she pouted as she sat down next to him. "Then I wouldn't have an excuse to go in your room anymore, Andy."

"Har, har, har." He laughed sarcastically, rolling his eyes and smiling at her. She giggled and smiled back - as much as she loved his attention, what she adored the most was his dazzling smile.

"...well, it's time for me to go. Walk me home?"

"Sure. Give me a minute to put these guys back in the box and I'll catch up with you outside."

"Don't take too long, cowboy." She winked and left the room, leaving Andy alone, watching his dolls.

He sighed, eyeing each of the dolls he's kept over the years. He felt guilty. Guilty for not playing with them anymore. Guilty to have left his childhood behind, and what's worse, feel embarrassed by it. His eyes darted over to the article on the screen and back at the smiling faces of his childhood heroes.

"I wouldn't sell you guys for the world." He admitted to himself, hugging the dolls.

"D'awwwwww!" Cooed Jenny, who was apparently spying on Andy, "Ain't that just the sweetest lil' thing in the entire world!"

"That's it! Come here you!"

Jenny squealed and ran out of the room with Andy giving chase, slamming the door behind him.

Andy's room was no different from any other boy's room. Posters and pictures lay askew on the walls. A bed messily made, clothes and trash carelessly tossed under the bed. A small CRT TV next to a desk. On the desk were three distinct dolls, eyes glistening, reflecting the light from the desk lamp.

It was still and silent for a moment before Woody began to blink.

"Mmmmmm!" The rambunctious redhead breathed out as she stretched herself. "Hoowee, am I glad to be out of that box!"

"Preachin' to the choir, Jess." Replied Woody. Bullseye neighing and nodding in agreement.

"I can't believe Andy thought about selling us!" Pouted Jessie as she kicked the floor.

"Naw..." Woody smiled as he looked out the door, "Andy ain't ever gonna let us go. Didncha hear what he said?"

"Ah heard, Ah heard." she responded, raising her hands up and down as she did. "Though you seem a lil' misty eyed, pardner. You doin alright?"

"I'm alright. Just... our lil' Andy's growin up."


	2. The Toys

/AN/ I do not own Toy Story or any of the characters that are cannon to the franchise. All other characters are my own. /AN/

Jessie whistled softly to herself, nodding in agreement. "I kinda liked her too."

"She's a looker, alright." Woody added. "And who-boy does she have one interesting personality."

"Well, I for one, don't like her one bit." Chimed in a voice from the toy box as it rustled open.

"Hey Buzz." Greeted the western dolls as they watched their space-themed friend struggle out of his confinement. With a gruff, he hoisted himself over and landed with a blunt thud before dusting himself off.

"How dare she suggest to sell you off!" He said in outrage as he hopped onto the desk to join the trio. Bullseye hung his head low - he never liked it when his friends were angry. Jessie wrapped her arm around his neck to soothe him.

"Now, now. Don't get your knickers in a twist." replied Woody, resting his hand on the distraught spaceman's shoulder. "It's not like she pushed him to do it. She just mentioned-"

"You know you'd feel the same way if it were-" interrupted Buzz.

"Buzz!" rebuked Jessie. Buzz may be stressed, but he had no right to say what he did, especially since what had happened was still fresh in their memories. Buzz knew instantly to bite his tongue. Looking down at his feet, he mumbled an awkward apology before heading towards Jessie, taking her hand in his own.

"I just don't ever want to lose her." sighed Buzz, squeezing the doll's hand, "I don't want to lose either of you. And you as well, Bullseye." He added with a smile towards their equine companion. Bullseye nodded and returned the smile.

"You won't, buddy." Woody replied softly after a long, nasally sigh. "I'll make sure of it."

Jessie was not impressed, however, and roughly pulled her hand away, glaring at the space ranger. Buzz could only rub the back of his neck and give out an embarrassed, awkward grin at his female lover. They couldn't talk about it. Not yet, at least. They had to wait for Woody to initiate lest he lies and keeps it to himself, which is usually what he does when he's down.

"Look," Woody began after a few minutes of awkward silence, "it's best that we get back to our places before Andy gets home. He's just walking that girl to her house anyway, so he shouldn't be gone long." With that, Woody took a seat next to his stallion, which promptly sat beside his beloved rider.

"He's right." admitted Jessie to Buzz in a whisper, still feeling somewhat annoyed by him. "We can talk about this later, understood?"

He gulped audibly and nodded, "Y-yes ma'am." Before running off and giving Woody a soft pat on the back. "W-woody." He cleared his throat, "You are... a good man and the best boy a toy could ask for - I mean the best toy a boy could ask for."

Woody chuckled and thanked his friend, watching him as Buzz made his way back into the toy box. He smiled, though his eyes were wistful, staring off into nothing in particular. Jessie shot him a look of concern, though didn't know what to say or do. She knew him well enough to know that he would shrug off any sign of weakness. He was arrogant, full of himself, yet brave, charming and was the best leader she had ever known. Perhaps it was because he had to be the leader of the group, or perhaps it's because he was a sheriff. Whatever the case, she needed to help him.

"You okay?" She asked quietly as she sat down next to him. She kept her gaze towards the door to make sure he wouldn't see her look so worried. He on the other hand was too busy counting the number of visible stars on the wallpaper.

"Of course I am." he replied with a smile, though there was some coldness in his answer, it was only a hint, but she could feel it. "Andy is here. Sure, we don't play like we used to, but at least I get to watch over him. I've got you, Bullseye, Buzz and the others. We're not locked up in storage. We still get to come out, play games, talk to each other..."

He went on and on about what he was thankful for in broad and long detail. It impressed the cowgirl how well he could count his blessings, but all the while, her face crumpled in pain as she stared at the doorknob. His voice kept that cold lining, never once lightening up. She knew he was not yet over it. Not yet over her.

And in that moment, all she wanted was to hold him until he felt better. It didn't matter if it would take a day, a week, a month or an entire year. Nothing hurt her more than listening to a broken Woody talk at length about his graces.

"I swear to God, she'll drive me insane someday!" groaned an annoyed Andy as he barged in his room. Throughout the entire walk home, Jenny addressed him as 'cowboy,' and had promised - or rather threatened in a veil of a promise - to use that as his new nickname, even at school. He could see it now: everyone would catch wind about how Andy used to play with cowboy dolls and he'd be the laughing stock of the entire school! Rose and Bob would use it as another tool of humiliation.

"Uggggh..." He groaned as he slammed the door behind him, leaning against it as he palmed his face. He was slowly sliding down as his right eye opened and he saw his toys between his fingers.

"I guess it's my own fault. Probably should have hidden you guys better." He sighed, walking up to the dolls to return them to the box. "What's this?"

He eyed them with a curious brow raised. They were in their place, just like he put them, but Jessie seemed to be holding her counterpart's hand. "What?" He commented, placing his eyes closer to the intertwined hands. He pondered for a moment if him hugging them accidentally brought them like this. Then it hit him.

A redheaded girl. Holding the hand of a brown-haired boy.

"Very funny, Molly!" Andy yelled out to his younger sister in annoyance.

"What did I do?" she yelled back from her room.

"You know what you did!"

He sighed and grabbed Bullseye, dropping him inside the dark box. Turning back to the pair, he smiled and separated them before picking up Jessie and whispering in her ear.

"Now now, Jess. Buzz is your boyfriend, not Woody."

...

_What the heck am I doing?_ He thought to himself as he grabbed Woody in his other hand. Tossing the male doll in the box, he glanced at Jessie one more time, his eyes lingering on her features. He stood there in silence for a moment before deciding to head to bed, Jessie still in his hold. Laying down on his back, he lifted the trusted Deputy doll above his face with a frown.

_She sure does look like Jen._ He mused, tossing the doll up and catching her. Jessie was in heaven - it had been so long, too long since she was last played with by Andy. _Well, she is a cowgirl, so I'm pretty sure she's just as energetic as Jen._ He chuckled to himself, wondering what shenanigans this particular cowgirl got Woody into in the old show. _I could never keep up._ He thought as he shrugged himself off to sleep.

Meanwhile, in another home not too far from the Davis residence was that peculiar redheaded girl, laying down on her bed as she amused herself with the memories she made that day. She stared at another doll - with a cowboy hat that was much too wide with a chip on its corner, white brows and an equally white and bushy beard, wearing a red shirt with blue dungarees.

"Hey Pete..." she began in an excited whisper. "I think you might see your friends soon."

...

It was a quiet night, save for Andy's gentle snores. Jessie lay still on his chest, his right hand still holding her securely. She closed her eyes and smiled in utter contentment as she swayed gently with each breath her owner took. Her arms spread wide, holding him as best as a little toy could - she never thought he'd play with her again, hold her again, or even notice her again. This wasn't the first time she had an owner that outgrew her, after all. So she took advantage of this opportunity as much as she could - who knows when she'll be played with again? The box that held the other toys slowly creaked open, hushed sounds of toys grunting as they struggled to get out filled the room, one toy complaining that someone's foot was on his head. Woody hopped down while Buzz fumbled over, landing once again with a dull thud.

"Shh..." hushed Woody as he looked up at his owner. The toys did this now and then, knowing Andy was a deep sleeper, and it was good for them to be able to stretch their arms and legs (and for some, bodies), and they couldn't do that within the cramped confines of their box.

Buzz nodded in apology and looked up at the bed as well. Jessie was with Andy. He gulped, knowing she'd likely lambaste him for his mistake once she got down. Woody took a moment to help Slinky Dog, their... well, dog slinky toy friend, out of the toy box. He thanked Woody in his graveled Southern accent before stretching, quite literally, his entire body.

"Mmmm-mmm!" he muttered quietly to himself, enjoying whatever stimulation he felt.

"Come on," whispered Woody to Buzz as he motioned to the desk, "Let's take a good look at where Jessie could be." Buzz agreed and the pair made their way over to their perch.

"Looks like he's got her good, Woody." Muttered Buzz as they stared at a motionless Jessie on Andy's chest. "He might be a deep sleeper, but she isn't going anywhere tonight." Silently, he thanked Star Command that he was getting off scot-free, at least for tonight.

"Ah, I don't think she minds, actually." Replied the cowboy, watching her smile contentedly as she slept. He smiled as well - Jessie deserved this. Seeing her cower inside the small, dark toy box hurt him inside, and as much as he wished that he could comfort her instead, he was thankful that Buzz was there to keep her company.

"That's good." The space ranger mused. "I haven't seen her smile like that in a long, long while." He turned to Woody, who once again had that same, wistful smile as before. He cleared his throat. "Woody-" he began.

"Look, I can tell that you and Jess feel bad for me." Woody interrupted. "But it's fine. I'm fine. I have so many things to look forward to, and too many other toys to take care of."

"Well, it's just-"

"I get that you guys think that I'd be down, but trust me, partner. I've been with Andy since day one. A toy being given away isn't something new to me."

"It's not that-"

"And long before that, too. I was his dad's toy. I've been the leader for two generations. I've had plenty of moments where I couldn't save..." He struggled for a moment to clear his throat, "Where I couldn't save toys. Friends. But I've learned to move on, and to move on quickly. So please." He turned to Buzz, though his eyes still lingered on the bed, "I don't want you two to act like you need to baby me. Understood?"

"I-" Buzz began before sighing in defeat, "Of course, bud. You know me and Jessie, we're pretty emotional."

Woody chuckled softly and grinned back at his best friend. "Too right, Buzz. Where would you be without me?"


	3. The Rival

/AN/ Thanks to everyone that have been reading! It's only been a few days since I posted this, but I'm genuinely surprised that so many people have already read. Special shout out to my first follower and the first person to favorite the story too. I'm glad I can entertain you guys. Please go ahead and tell me what you think by reviewing the story. I'd love to know any and all flaws or things I could change to become a better writer for you guys.

I do not own Toy Story or any of the characters that are cannon to the franchise. All other characters are my own. /AN/

"Holy crap I'm late!" Yelled out Andy as he jumped out of bed, leaving Jessie in a crumpled mess on the blanket. He rushed like a whirlwind - moving around the room as quickly as he could, packing his bag, hobbling as he changed his clothes and doing his hair all at the same time. In a flash he rushed out of his room and slammed the door shut behind him, a KEEP OUT sign that hung on the knob whirling round and round.

"Well, I never!" Grumbled Jessie as she pouted and crossed her arms. "Woody, you better teach your boy some manners!"

"What now, Jess? He was late!" The cowboy moaned as he slumped over the now-open toy chest.

"That's not how you should ever treat a lady, even if he was late!"

"Jess." replied the exasperated cowboy as he recalled Buzz when he first met him, "You. Are. A. Toy!"

"I am a _lady!_" She now turned to her counterpart, stomped her foot and pouted her adorable pout at him.

"Ah, quit your yappin!" came a voice with a Brooklyn accent from inside the box, "It's too early and there are some toys here that want to _sleep._"

"Zip it, spud!" yelled the redheaded cowgirl back. Jessie was not one to back down from a fight.

"Do me a favor. Take my detachable arm, and shove it right up your-"

SLAP. Came a noise from inside the toy chest.

"B-but-but honey, she started it!" returned the Brooklyn accented voice, this time trembling.

"I don't care who started what! You do NOT speak to a lady that way!" rebuked Mrs. Potato Head angrily before hopping out of the box and sauntering away, her hands crossed and eyes closed in disapproval.

"H-honey!" Whined Mr. Potato Head as he struggled to get out from the box himself. As he landed he broke apart - arms, legs, eyes, nose and mouth. He hobbled along, haphazardly returning each member back to their slots, though incorrectly. "C-come back! I'm sorry!"

"Good luck with that, Picasso!" Laughed Woody, slapping his knee at the humorous sight. He then turned to Jessie and noticed she kept her adorable frustrated pout. "Now now, Jessie. You know he didn't mean it. And besides, it's still better than when he was a kid. Remember how he'd drop us on whatever hard surface we were on as soon as his mom calls out to him?"

Jessie huffed - Woody was right. _Ugh. Woody was always right._ "I guess... but I'm still mad about it! I was having a very pleasant dream!"

"Oh?" The Western doll teased with a playful grin, "having sweet dreams in the arms of your lover? I think Buzz might have a rival on his hands!"

"What?" called Buzz out from inside the toy chest, his head popped out and he frantically paced the room with his eyes, looking for Woody and Jessie. "Jessie wouldn't leave me for Andy." He said with a chuckle that lasted a little too long, "I mean... You wouldn't _actually_ leave me for Andy, right?" Jessie merely shot him a deadpan look that said, 'what do you think, Einstein?'

...

Andy groaned as he plopped down on his desk beside the window. All that stress and hard work from the night before, and all he got for it was a lousy C+. Still, he was finally safe from failing. He knew though that it would only get harder from there. He shuddered to himself, knowing he'd have to suffer Jenny's constant teasing for at least another few months. He was at least glad that she was less flirtatious at school. He would hate for people to think he liked her in that manner merely because she knew how to make him blush. The fact of the matter was, she was only a friend and he just never knew how to act properly around women.

The truth was that Andy already had his eyes set on someone else, someone he knew for much longer than Jenny. He smiled sweetly as he rested his chin on his arms, slumping on his desk. He watched the glow of thick, golden locks, seemingly shimmering against the natural light. Fair skin on a meek frame. She was the perfect height, too. 5 feet, 4 inches to his 5 feet 11. He closed his eyes as he imagined what it would be like to bend his head down, watching her as she lay in his embra-

"Howdy, pardner!" greeted Jenny in a playful whisper before plopping down on her seat next to him. The boy merely rolled his eyes and nodded at her.

"Howd- Hi, Jen."

She giggled to herself and gave him a genuine smile. "Hey! You got yourself a C plus! Not bad, not bad!"

"Don't patronize me." He replied as he looked down at his test paper.

"You know me, I'd rather tease you than compliment you, so be grateful."

Andy chuckled at this and went back to resting his head on his arms, returning to look at those long, wavy strands of hair. Jenny watched him and rolled her eyes, instantly knowing what he was doing.

"Staring at her again, eh?" she whispered in his ears.

"I- I'm not staring!" He replied, looking away to hide his slightly pink cheeks. "I was- I was just-"

"You know, you're the weirdest boy in the world, Andy." remarked Jenny, "Most kids would _hate_ their bullies, and here you are making goo goo eyes at yours!"

"She's not a bully, alright." Andy responded, scratching the side of his head in annoyance. "Stop saying she is!"

"Andy. She teases you all the time."

"You do that too!"

"Yes. But I do it out of _love_, and she does it for popularity."

"Just. Shut up, okay?" He grumbled and turned to look outside the window to avoid the conversation.

"Hmph. Fine." Jenny resigned to reading her books instead as she was becoming more annoyed as well. What was so good about that prissy little blonde snob anyway? Always wore dresses that were too frilly. Always surrounded by boys and posse. She was so dainty you'd think she was a porcelain doll deep down, and yet had the sharpest and most ruthless tongue in the world. Jenny stared at the blonde, completely annoyed now. Rose. Andy was too good for her.

...

Back at Andy's house everyone had settled down. The Potato Heads went inside the closet to continue the 'apology.' Rex, a toy Tyrannosaurus Rex, Hamm, a literal Piggy Bank, and Slinky were all huddled together in a game of cards. A few other toys were scattered about, chatting with one another while Jessie and Buzz sat together on top of Andy's pillow.

"So yeah. That's what he told me last night." remarked Buzz, thankful she was in a better mood than the night before.

"Dang that Woody." Huffed his girlfriend. "He ain't makin' this easy on any of us."

"Now Jessie, I- I know you care about him... a _lot_," he added, a hint of mistrust was added in that final word, "but Woody isn't going to want our help. He'll let go of it when he lets go of it."

"How can you say that, Buzz? You're his best friend!"

"Which is exactly _why_ I'm saying it. I've known Woody all my life, and I can tell you that toy does _not_ like showing _any_ signs of weakness. Ever."

"Blasted. Arrogant cowpoke." She muttered under her breath, pouting and hugging her knees.

The space ranger could only smile at her. "You know, you're cute when you're mad."

"Don't try to change the subject, Buzz." She frowned, huffing in light protest. "Mr. Romeo."

"Ah Jess, you really do remind me of Woody sometimes." commented Buzz as he took her hand. "Stubborn." He cooed, slowly climbing over the distracted redhead. "Can't take 'no' for an answer." Before she realized it, her lover was over her, his right hand pressing against her shoulder to keep her still. "But most of all... ticklish!" With his free hand, Buzz gently pressed against his girlfriend's sides, causing her to laugh uncontrollably and begging for mercy. He laughed alongside her, knowing she needed to get that cowboy off her mind if she were to feel better.

"Oh- okay! Okay! I- I give! I give!" She yelled between each chortle. They stared at each other in silence for a minute, smiling lovingly before Jessie turned her head to the side, looking away.

Buzz merely sighed. "You know you can't help him."

She nodded, frowning.

"But you're still going to try, aren't you?"

She nodded again. "Where is he?" she asked quietly.

"Downstairs. Watching TV."

And with that, she got up, gave her boyfriend a kiss on the cheek and walked out of the room, leaving him sighing to himself. "I'm not sure who's more stubborn between the two cowpokes."


	4. The Fight

/AN/ Thanks for my very first review! Please don't hesitate to tell me your thoughts and comments. I welcome any and all criticisms so I can get better at writing.

I do not own Toy Story or any of the characters that are cannon to the franchise. All other characters are my own. /AN/

Crunch. Munch, munch. "Mmmmm..."

Andy and Jenny stared in disgust and worry.

Gulp. "Mmmph." The Aussie ginger licked his fingers clean after voraciously gobbling up another taco. "Man, oh man," he said with a burp, "I may not know much about Mexicans, but boy do they know how to make the perfect dish."

Jenny pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head.

"Tacoda, I swear you're going to die of a heart attack someday." Andy remarked, both awed and horrified at the fact that his friend had eaten his third taco in a row, not to mention that he had never seen Tacoda eat anything else in the year he had known him.

"You're just trying to steal my tacos, aren't ya mate?" challenged Tacoda with a smirk, his accent and vocabulary giving away his Australian roots. "You know you could just ask, right?"

The pair shot him a look of surprise and expectancy - he was not one to ever offer them anything, much less his precious meal. "Taco- could we-"

"Pffft!" Chortled the young man, "You honestly think I would _actually_ say yes?" He leaned back into his chair, it tilting underneath him as he laughed at them.

Jenny frowned at him, her dark red brows furrowing in annoyance. "Taco, you're such a... such a... such a jerk!"

"A jerk, Jen?" He replied coyly at his friend. "You can do better than that."

"I have a number of things I want to call you," she responded as she crossed her arms, "but if this were written in fanfiction dot net, I wouldn't want the rating to be changed from T to M."

The boys could only look at her with brows raised.

"That analogy was oddly specific." commented Andy.

"And really, Taco. Isn't it a little on the nose?" she continued, ignoring her best friend.

The orange-haired boy merely shrugged as he prepared himself another Mexican meal. "I have no idea what you're on about."

Andy placed his hand on Jenny's arm to stop her from continuing the argument. Out of the three of them, Taco was the youngest and newest in their circle of friends. He was fifteen and skipped a grade - the pair remembered the first time he entered the classroom to be introduced. He talked with an air of cockiness and snark, though it was plain to see that he didn't mean anything by it. It didn't take long for him to make quite a bit of friends. And quite a bit of enemies as well, especially with Rose who hated the fact that his tongue was just as sharp and quick witted as hers. He was also sported natural light-brown hair much like Andy, but constantly dyed it orange.

"Well, if it isn't the giant, the geek, and the wanna-be Ginger midget." remarked a male voice behind them. The trio turned to look at Robert, a senior high school jock that took great pleasure in annoying and harassing the three. He wore his usual attire - a white polo and slacks, and green sneakers with tints of green and purple donning the entire attire. Atop his head donned his favorite lavender baseball cap - Jenny swore it was glued to his head as soon as he lost his hair at an early age. He had an arrogant, toothy grin as he glared at them menacingly.

"Hey, Bob." greeted Tacoda, fishing for a fourth taco shell.

Robert scowled and grabbed the boy's wrist, yanking him harshly. "That's _Robert_ to you, _midget._" He hissed.

Andy fidgeted in his seat uncomfortably. He knew Taco well enough to know that he was shrewd and could easily talk his way out of a confrontation, but he also knew that Taco had a tendency to bury himself into a deeper ditch if he so desired. It wasn't that Andy was afraid of Robert, though. He merely hated what confrontations usually brought - attention. He wanted nothing more than to just fit in, and at the moment, Taco was not helping.

Tacoda himself merely shrugged as he fished for his taco shell using his free hand. "Anything you say, Bobert."

Robert grit his teeth, positively seething at the unintimidated yet disrespectful response he was just given. He curled his fist and raised it behind him, intent on nailing Tacoda right on the nose. Quickly, both Andy and Jenny stood up, but before Jenny could say something, her friend rushed between her and Robert, raising a hand in apology to their assailant. "Robert, Rob." Andy pleaded in a hushed tone, "This isn't worth getting into the principal's office. You know that." Before Robert could respond, he was cut off by someone else.

"Robert, leave them alone." commented a sultry voice. Both Robert and Andy turned to look at her, with Andy seemingly horrified that they were noticed. Why did it have to be her?

...

Why? Why did it have to be her?

"_Woody!" cried out Bo Peep as she got picked off from the shelf to be sold in the next garage sale. The cowboy could only keep his glassy smile as he hung lifelessly in Andy's grasp. She was scared, dreading to be sent away. And she screamed for her cowboy to save her as he did countless times before. She didn't care if humans were around. Yet he smiled that glassy smile, her reflection on the brown of his eyes. She had been picked up - coins and bills slowly falling into the money box, and she kicked and yelled for her release until her porcelain figure began to crack. Woody was free from Andy's grip, life returning to his eyes as horror and disbelief replaced his glassy smile. He ran after her while she reached out to him, being carried away by another giant. He was close, so close, but before he knew it, he was held back by his very own pullstring, Andy laughing at him from behind as he held onto it._

Woody woke up in a cold sweat, huffing and clutching his head. It was a dream, a horrible dream. It had plagued him for months now, and he couldn't seem to be rid of it. He looked at his hands, trying to remind himself of reality as his other senses returned to him.

"...So it looks like sunny skies and lovely weather all week next week as well! But be prepared for the coming month where..."

That's right. He dozed off 'watching' the weather channel as he surfed the TV. He sighed to himself in relief as he leaned his head back against the couch, his eyes closed as he mentally reminded himself that it was all a dream.

"...Woody?"

The cowboy took one sharp intake of air through his teeth as his brows furrowed in annoyance and embarrassment. Her. It had to be her.

"Hey Jess," he replied as he exhaled, opening his eyes and smiling at his counterpart. "What brings you here?"

"I was-"

"Worried about me?" He cut her off and kept his smile, but she could tell by the tone of his voice that he was anything but amused. "Look, I've already told Buzz last night that you guys didn't have to do this, alright? Now go back to lover boy and enjoy the rest of your day."

That struck a nerve. She scowled at him as she curled her hands into fists. It infuriated her how arrogant this blasted cowpoke was, refusing any form of help as if he were the sole hero in a children's novel. She hated how vain, and stupid, and distant, and stupid he was being. Well, she was going to help him. She was going to help him whether he liked it or not.

"Look at you," she replied haughtily as she crossed her arms, "Good ol' Woody Pride's got no feelings, got no need for friends."

"Jessie-"

"Good ol' high and mighty Woody Pride wants nothing to do with anybody anymore ever since she was taken away."

It was now the cowboy's turn to feel his metaphorical blood boil. He barked her name angrily and pointed a finger at Jessie. "Don't you _dare_ mention her again!"

"Or what, eh?" Jessie responded, placing her hands on her hips as she tilted her head. This wasn't what she wanted, but at least he was finally showing _some_ kind of emotion. "You gonna sulk for another twenty years and ignore everyone else?"

"Jessie Jane," he warned, venom lining each word spoken, "you do not want to make me an enemy."

"Well, at least you'd talk to me more if you fought with me!"

Woody's brows softened for a moment - she was right. But how could he even return back to how he was before? He couldn't even remember what it was like without her. Jessie would have none of that, though. She was going to get him to talk about it, even if it meant fighting him to do so.

"She's gone, Woody. She's gone and there isn't anything you can do about it."

That had done it. With a scream, Woody lunged at the red headed doll, pushing them both off the couch as they began wrestling on the carpet.


End file.
